Depression and Burden among Caregivers of Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Tiraya Lerthattasilp MD*, Thammanard Charernboon MD, MSc*, Issarapa Chunsuwan MD**, Panida Siriumpunkul PhD***
Affiliation : * Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand ** Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand *** Faculty of Nursing, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand
Objective : To study depression prevalence and burden among caregivers of children with autistic spectrum disorder and the
related factors.
Material and Method: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study. Measures included questionnaires, CES-D and burden
interview. Patients’ diagnoses and functions were obtained from child psychiatrists and developmental pediatricians responsible
for the patients.
Results : There were 51 participants. The depression prevalence was 5.9%. Concerning the burden, 45.1% of the participants
reported little or no burden, and 45.1% reported mild to moderate burden. Only 7.8% and 2.0% experienced moderate to
severe and severe burdens, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between depression and burden (p =
0.012). Significant correlations were also observed between burden and months after diagnosed, the number of patient’s
problems and the number of hours that caregiver spent with patient per day. Moreover, the burden was significantly
associated with patient’s communication problems and patient’s inappropriate odd repetitive behaviors (p<0.05).
Conclusion : The prevalence of depression in and severe burden on caregivers of autistic children from the present study was
low. Factors related to the burden were months after diagnosed, the number of patient’s problems, the number of hours that
caregiver spent with patient, patient’s communication problems and inappropriate or odd repetitive behaviors.
Keywords : Autism, Autistic spectrum disorder, Burden, Caregiver, Depression
